Although I know that for Longines, the attention of all players is currently focused on the “green Conquest” dive watch, I still want to talk about a Longines that everyone is quite familiar with today, the “8-needle Longines,” the new Longines Master Collection Annual Calendar Chronograph.
Actually, it's a bit late for us to talk about this watch today. My impression is that the Longines Annual Calendar Chronograph completed its generational update around the middle of last year. At the time, I was quite busy and overlooked this watch. However, later on, considering the large existing stock of the “8-needle Longines” in China, and the fact that the old and new models are currently being sold concurrently, I decided to discuss it with all of you.文章源自表探-https://www.bbtwatch.com/en/wbzs/27881.html
The Longines Master Collection Complete Calendar Moonphase Chronograph is colloquially known as the “8-hand Longines” or Longines “8-hand Moonphase” because of its complexity. In addition to the hour and minute hands, the dial includes a total of eight hands for the chronograph, calendar, and 24-hour functions. Previously, Omega also had a Speedmaster with a similar dial layout, which was known as the “8-hand Speedmaster.” The “8-hand Speedmaster” has long been discontinued, so this is just for your information.文章源自表探-https://www.bbtwatch.com/en/wbzs/27881.html
Although Longines“ new ceramic bezel Conquest dive watches have been very popular among enthusiasts in the past two years, looking across the country, the Master Collection is still the most widely recognized Longines model among the general public. Among them, the ”8-hand Longines“ Master Collection perpetual calendar chronograph is one of the most complex and highest-priced watches in the Master Collection, and it is also a very popular Longines watch in China. Many people who buy the ”8-hand Longines“ have similar ideas. They want to buy a better watch, but they find a regular three-hand watch too simple. The ”8-hand Longines" has multiple functions, making the watch appear more complex on the wrist.文章源自表探-https://www.bbtwatch.com/en/wbzs/27881.html
The biggest change in the new Longines Master Collection full calendar moon phase chronograph is the use of Longines“ new L687 automatic chronograph movement. The old ”8-hand Longines" used the ETA 7750 automatic chronograph movement.文章源自表探-https://www.bbtwatch.com/en/wbzs/27881.html
A major characteristic of Longines movements is that, while Longines doesn't use in-house movements, to reflect Longines' important position in the mid-priced luxury watch market and to differentiate it from entry-level luxury watches, ETA develops exclusive movements specifically for Longines. For example, Longines' L688 series chronograph movement and L888 series automatic movement are dedicated movements developed by ETA for Longines based on their standard movements. Longines' dedicated movements feature some configurations comparable to Omega movements, and their movement finishing and decoration are superior to those of Tissot and Mido.文章源自表探-https://www.bbtwatch.com/en/wbzs/27881.html
The new Longines Master Collection's complete calendar moon phase chronograph's L687 chronograph movement (L687/688 series) is a column wheel chronograph movement developed by ETA based on the 7750 movement. It replaces the cam on the previous 7750 with a column wheel. Column wheels are considered a hallmark of high-end chronographs. The “petal-like” shape of the column wheel is more aesthetically pleasing compared to the simple geometric construction of the cam. Furthermore, the “multi-petal” structure of the column wheel reduces friction when the chronograph is started, stopped, or reset, as it rotates incrementally, leading to a smoother button feel in column wheel chronographs. In contrast, cams rely on levers to frictionally hold the wheel in position, resulting in a stiffer button feel, especially for the reset button, in cam-based chronographs.文章源自表探-https://www.bbtwatch.com/en/wbzs/27881.html
The new Longines “8-needle moon phase” uses the L687/688 series chronograph movement (top), and the old Longines “8-needle moon phase” uses the 7750 movement (bottom). Note the difference between the blue column wheel and the cam.文章源自表探-https://www.bbtwatch.com/en/wbzs/27881.html
When the Longines exclusive L678/L688 series chronograph movements were launched, they shook the world of luxury watches. This is because the L687/688 series movements were the column wheel chronographs with the lowest official retail price in the luxury watch market, significantly lowering the entry barrier for column wheel chronographs. At the time, the starting price for column wheel chronographs was around 40,000-50,000 yuan. After Longines launched the L678/L688 series chronograph movements, the entry barrier for column wheel chronographs dropped to around 20,000 yuan. Even today, Longines remains one of the column wheel chronographs with the lowest official retail price.文章源自表探-https://www.bbtwatch.com/en/wbzs/27881.html
The finishing of the Longines movement is also quite well done, with a large surface area for polishing. After replacing it with the L687 column wheel chronograph movement, the “8-hand Longines” still adheres to Longines' consistent tradition of painting the column wheel blue. When viewed through the transparent case back, the blue column wheel is very prominent. The technical configuration of the movement has been improved (power reserve also increased to 54 hours), and the movement is more aesthetically pleasing. Available in two sizes, 40mm and 42mm.文章源自表探-https://www.bbtwatch.com/en/wbzs/27881.html
The new Longines Master Collection annual calendar moonphase chronograph is now available in two sizes: 40mm and 42mm. From a dress watch perspective, 42mm is a larger size, while 40mm is a more standard dress watch size. Now, regardless of wrist size, there's a very suitable option. Longines, like Omega, often offers two sizes for their men's watches, which is very considerate for domestic collectors. The case and bezel of the new Longines “8-hand moonphase” are still polished, maintaining the original style.
文章源自表探-https://www.bbtwatch.com/en/wbzs/27881.html
